Sustainable Urban Planning Program
Our 48-credit master’s program consists of a core curriculum of ten courses and a capstone, plus five electives. In the program, you will study cities through the lens of economic, social, and environmental sustainability – thereby gaining a skill set for promoting more competitive, inclusive, and ecological cities. The program has a unique focus on anthropogenic climate change, which is addressed throughout the entire curriculum.
OUR CORE VALUES
Our program's core values are: Active Learning, Advocacy, Democracy, Diversity, Research and World Engagement.
Active Learning empowers stakeholders by giving them shared responsibility for outcomes.
Advocacy involves using the knowledge and language of cities to promote objectively desirable results that further the public good – especially in the decision-making arena, and in the face of competing interests.
Democracy is key to planning in order to ensure that planning activities reflect the interests of the whole and not only those of an individual/s or otherwise narrow constituency.
Diversity in the planning process matters because decisions must reflect the plurality the cultures, landscapes, people, societies, and systems that they impact.
Research is the engine of knowledge creation, and the scientific method is responsible for centuries of human progress.
World Engagement involves proactively looking outward to find opportunities to learn from and collaborate with others from nearby – and around the globe.
LOCATION
Classes are taught at the GW Arlington Education Center located at 950 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22203. Classes meet Monday through Thursday nights from 6 to 9 PM on the sixth floor. The Program Director’s office is located in Room 639.
(703) 248-6200 || arldesk@gwu.edu
Required Coursework (11 classes)
PSUS 6201: Principles of Sustainable Urban and Regional Planning is an introductory planning history and theory course that examines the “triple bottom line” of economic, environmental, and social sustainability. It is a reading- and discussion-intensive seminar wherein students actively debate the concept of sustainability with the goal of forming their own ideas about its meaning and implications.
PSUS 6202: Urban and Environmental Economics is concerned with the application of neoclassical economics to problems faced by practitioners of the field of sustainable urban and regional planning. It develops a set of analytical methods for understanding urban and environmental challenges and their solutions; urban growth; environmental quality; public policy; and more.
PSUS 6203: Research Methods: Geospatial and Econometric Analysis is focused on developing proficiency in geographic information systems (GIS) and econometric analysis, a method of statistical analysis for measuring the relationships at work in socioeconomic phenomena. The course teaches how to build an analyze spatial datasets, specifically using ArcGIS and Stata.
PSUS 6204: Land Use Law is about understanding the legal context of land use planning as it applies to contemporary issues. The role of land use law in shaping the urban context and its implications for policy and practice.
PSUS 6210: Transportation Planning in City Systems is about transportation planning with long-run goals, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in mind. It delineates the role of planning - at local and regional scales - within the broader frame of transportation engineering and provides a basis for engaging in this increasingly complex and interdisciplinary dimension of urbanization.
PSUS 6211: Regional Development and Agricultural Economics explores the economics of land use patterns and land development processes in the United States and elsewhere in the world. It also provides an introduction to the field of agricultural economics and examines food deserts and other food-related problems relevant to the field of sustainable urban planning.
PSUS 6212: Sustainable Communities I: Housing and Design addresses community development with special attention given to the policy arena and the various sectors of interest that impact contemporary urbanization. Along the way, a number of special topics - including water supply, food deserts, public health, urban resilience, and more - are introduced.
PSUS 6220: Planning Resilient and Low-Carbon Cities is a course with an international perspective on urban planning for - and in - a warmer future, brought about by climate change induced by greenhouse gas emissions. It is taught with reference to the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and considers how urbanization around the world must adapt to the reality of global warming and its consequences.
PSUS 6221: The Scientific Basis of Climate Change introduces the science that underlies climate change policy and decision making. It is a course designed for non-scientists that provides a rigorous treatment of earth systems, climate change projections, the need for mitigation, and impact assessment.
PSUS 6230: Studio in Sustainable Urban Planning is an applied course, trained on the nexus of urban design and neighborhood health impact assessment. It addresses both new and existing urban environments and is grounded in pragmatic approaches to real-world problem solving.
PSUS 6233: Capstone. The Capstone forms a final project completed by each student taking the MPS in Sustainable Urban Planning. It is individualized in nature and is intended to demonstrate a rounded mastery of knowledge and skills gained in the program. The capstone is conducted under the supervision of a selected faculty mentor.
Electives (5 classes)
Frequency and schedule of elective offerings varies. Please consult with Dr. Whitehead to determine when an elective of interest is likely to be offered.
PSUS 6205: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Current patterns of urban development, including segregation, concentrated poverty, suburban sprawl, and gentrification.
PSUS 6213: Advanced Research Methods: Individual Mentoring enables students in to work one-on-one, with a faculty mentor of their choice, on a project of joint design. Individual work plans will vary from project-to-project because they are intended to be student-specific.
PSUS 6214: Food and Cities examines agricultural systems, food production, consumption, and trade, and their links to urbanization, city growth, and public health, through lenses of history, technology, economic theory, geography, and public policy. The course explores the roles that food plays in the lives of urban inhabitants, and in shaping the urban landscape, and the role of cities in determining the geography, sustainability, and business of agriculture.
PSUS 6215: Urban Health Impact Assessment focuses on the connection between public health and place, with an eye toward planning history and current theories on the relationship between the built environment and quality of life. It addresses the key health issues in planning and related fields and how to incorporate them into the planning and design processes.
PSUS 6216: Megacities in a Globalized World is concerned with the rise of megacities and their role in an increasingly globalized world. It is an advanced, research-oriented seminar requiring that students identify, analyze, and recommend ways of addressing region-specific vulnerabilities stemming from human ecology.
PSUS 6218: Urban Growth and Affordability addresses real estate economics, with a particular emphasis on land markets and affordable housing. It focuses specifically on the spatial outcome of economic development and the relationship between growth and sustainable urban planning.
PSUS 6222: Climate Change Economics is concerned with the application of neoclassical economics, primarily microeconomics, to the problem of anthropogenic climate change. Case studies are used to identify vulnerabilities to climate change and/or other stresses - plus prospective solutions - within a particular region.
PSUS 6223: Sustainable Communities II: Tools for Assessment and Transformation builds on PSUS 6212 by further detailing the theory and tools relevant to the assessment and transformation of neighborhood and communities. Emphasis is placed on understanding the context of planning, including: the fundamental drivers of urban and regional form and the formation of placed-based policy.
PSUS 6224: Sustainable Energy for Cities and the Environment addresses resource management, renewable energy technologies, and vulnerabilities of existing urban structures, particularly the energy grid. It presents the implications of - and solutions to - energy-related problems faced by cities in an era of anthropogenic climate change.
PSUS 6227: Critical Infrastructure for Cities and Regions focuses on the existing risk profile of energy, water, telecom/internet, and other critical infrastructure. It identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that these systems pose for urbanization in the United States and worldwide.
PSUS 6228: Parks and Public Facilities Planning teaches students relevant, applicable skills in urban park planning. The course consists of readings and analysis, guest lectures and case study evaluation with student presentations. In addition, students will produce a park assessment and concept plan for a local park and present findings to invited professionals.
PSUS 6231: Practicum is a vehicle for students to gain internship experience and is used, primarily under three circumstances: (i) when a student wants to receive course credit for an internship, especially if that internship is unpaid; (ii) when the host agency requires that the student be enrolled for course credit; and (iii) in cases where students (especially foreign students) can only work under the auspices of a practicum course. Instructor: SUP Faculty
PSUS 6235: Advanced Topics in Urban Sustainability
PSUS 6236: International Studio in Sustainable Urban Planning. International immersion designed to promote an international exchange of research and scholarship on sustainable urban development and provide instruction on operating in a foreign setting.
ACCREDITATION
The Sustainable Urban Planning Master’s Degree is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB). This is a high academic standard that recognizes professional planning programs in North America on the basis of performance, integrity, and quality. Successful completion of this program may reduce the time required to become certified through the American Institute of Certified Planners.
The GW SUP Program has been accredited since 2018 and was re-accredited in Spring 2023.
Learn more about PAB accreditation: https://www.planningaccreditationboard.org/why-accreditation/for-students/
10 YEAR PROGRAM ANNIVERSARY
For the past decade, GW's Sustainable Urban Planning (SUP) master's program has provided emerging leaders from around the world with the tools to effectively and responsibly reimagine the communities of tomorrow.
We challenge our students and alumni, the change agents of the future, to use their training, education and innovation to transform policies, systems and communities. They recognize their responsibility to make planning decisions through the lens of sustainability, attaining more competitive, socially inclusive and ecological cities through their ongoing efforts. With today's unique global, environmental and social challenges, our alumni are driven to create healthier, more equitable communities every day.